from their persecutors, and afflictions. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the afflictions of my people, which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, by reason of their task masters; for I know their sorrows.' So here you may see the Lord doth hear their cries, and is sensible of the afflictions and sorrows of his people, therefore commandeth his people, not to afflict the widow, nor the fatherless, nor the stranger; for if they did, they would cry unto the Lord, and he would make their wives widows, and their children fatherless.'

And Amos cried, 'Wo unto such that chaunt to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music like unto David, that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with chief ointments; but they are not grieved for the afflictions of Joseph; for I know your manifold transgressions, and your mighty sin, they afflict the just;' and that is it that afflicts the just in our age, and are not sensible of the afflictions of Joseph, nor of the afflictions of the righteous in our age. And Christ saith, And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cried day and night unto him? And did not Christ tell the Jews, how they had slain and persecuted the prophets?' And he said, how that they should persecute his apostles and prophets?' And what are become of those persecuting Jews? And Christ said to his disciples, They shall lay hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the councils, and scourge you in the synagogues, and cast you into prison, being brought before kings and rulers for my name sake; and it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, (saith Christ,) which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist.' Therefore it is good for all to look unto Jesus, both for wisdom and for strength in all their trials, and sufferings, and persecutions; for without him they can do nothing.

And Christ saith, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; blessed are ye when men shall revile and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake; rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. But I say unto you, love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you.' And Christ saith to his disciples, 'You shall be hated of all men for my name sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved; but when they persecute you in this city, flee you to another; for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone over all the cities of Israel till the son of man come. But when they deliver you up, take no thought, how or what you shall speak; for it shall be given you in that same hour, what you shall speak; for it is

not you that speak, but the spirit of the Father that speaketh in you.' And further, Christ saith to the Jews, Behold I send unto you prophets and wise men, and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth,' &c.

And also you may see how John Baptist was cast in prison, for reproving of Herod; and his wife's daughter pleased Herod with her dancing, and Herod promised with an oath, to give her whatever she would ask, and her mother advised her to ask John Baptist's head, and she had it given her. Now this was the fruit of transgressing the law of God, and of her dancing, and oaths, and swearing, contrary to the command of Christ, who saith, swear not at all.

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And also, Christ saith, 'I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was naked, and ye clothed me not; in prison, and ye came not unto me; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; and sick, and ye visited me not,' &c. And Christ saith, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not unto me; and such shall go into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into life eternal.'

Is it not the practice of the professors now-a-days, instead of clothing the naked, to take away their clothes? and take away their meat and drink, instead of giving them meat and drink? and cast into prison, instead of visiting them in prison? Yea, such as pretend to be preachers of the gospel, though they do not hear them; but such are transgressors of his command, who saith, Freely you have received, freely give.'

And Ahab the king, said, "Take Micaiah, the prophet, and put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of afflictions until I come in peace;' and Micaiah said unto Ahab, 'If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me.' So Ahab was slain, according to Micaiah's prophecy. 2 Chron. xviii. 27.

And did not the prophet Hananii reprove Asa the king? And the king was in a great rage, and put the prophet in prison, because he reproved the king, who relied on the king of Asyria, and not on the Lord God? 2 Chron. xvi. 7.

And you may see in the Acts, how the priests and the rulers cast the apostles into prison, and charged them that they should preach no more in the name of Jesus.' And Stephen said to the chief priest and the rulers, 'Which of the prophets have not your forefathers persecuted, and slain them which showed before the coming of the Just One, of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers, who received the law, &c. and have not kept it? When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and gnashed on him with their teeth, and stoned

Stephen to death, Stephen calling upon God, saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit.'

And Paul said, 'I have persecuted this way (which was the way of true christianity) unto death, binding and delivering into prison both men and women; the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the state of the elders, from whom also I received letters, and went unto Damascus to bring them which were there, bound unto Jerusalem for to be punished.' This was Paul's confession when he was converted, and persecuted for Christ's sake, by the old persecuting professing Jews.

And Herod persecuted the Christians, and killed James, and imprisoned Peter, whom an angel delivered through the prayers of the saints, and the angel of God struck Herod that he died miserably.

And you may see, in the 16th of the Acts, how Paul and Silas were cast into prison, and how the Lord wrought a wonderful deliverance to his glory for them! And how often you see the Jews sought the life of Paul after he was converted; and the heathen Romans had more tenderness, who let him have liberty to dwell two full years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concerned the Lord Jesus; and no man forbade him.

And the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he had done good on the Sabbath day, who was Lord of the Sabbath. And Christ said to his disciples, 'Remember the word that I said unto you, (to wit, his disciples,) the servant is not greater than his Lord; if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you, &c. All these things will they do unto you for my name sake.'

And this persecution and imprisonment the apostles and the saints came to witness after Christ was risen; and therefore you may see in his epistles he salutes his fellow prisoners, and the apostle saith, He that is born of the flesh, persecutes him that is born of the spirit;' even so it is now, each birth manifests both their works and fruits.

And the apostle saith to the Corinthians, Give no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed; but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in affliction, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings, by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the holy ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness, on the right hand and on the left; by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastised, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having noVOL. VI.

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thing, yet possessing all things.' These are good examples for the true christians to follow. 2 Cor. vi. 5. 11. 27.

And do not you read what became of Jezabel, that persecutor of the Lord's prophets? And what is become of all the persecutors of God's people since the beginning? That birth born after the flesh, will it not have the same portion to the end of the world? Is it not recorded to be the birth of the flesh; and is not to inherit with the heir of the promise; but is shut out from that inheritance?

London, the 8th month, 1682.

G. Fox.

How the Devil was, and is the Old Informer against the Righteous.

By G. F.

He that is an informer, is a persecutor, and spoiler, and a destroyer; and the devil is the head of all informers, persecutors, and destroyers of the righteous.

He is an adversary of the happiness of all God's people, and an accuser of them. He is a serpent, an enemy to all that which is good. See his enmity against Adam and Eve, and against their happiness, how it did appear against Adam and Eve, in Gen. i.

And see his enmity in the Sodomites, who vexed just and righteous Lot's soul from day to day. And Noah, a preacher of righteousness to the old ungodly world, who did not regard him, no more than Sodom did Lot; but the one was drowned, and the other was turned into ashes. And see the serpent's enmity in the Jews, and in Corah, Dathan, and Abiram against Moses; and what became of them who would have stoned him?

And you may see the enmity of the serpent in the Jews against the prophets. And did not both the ten tribes, and the two tribes go into captivity for disobeying the Lord? (like their father Adam,) in their enmity against his prophets and righteous people.

And likewise you may see the enmity of the serpent in the Jews against Christ and his apostles, insomuch that Christ called the Jews 'serpents, and of their father the devil.' And what became of those Jews? were they not scattered among all nations, and Jerusalem, and their place of worship destroyed?

And what condition is all Christendom in, that is erred from the holy ghost, and power the apostles were in? Have they not received the unclean ghost, or foul spirit of the devil, the enmity, adversary, accuser and destroyer, that old informer, that makes them to destroy one

another, makes them to envy and accuse, and informers, and destroyers of the righteous? And that foul spirit or unclean ghost hath brought Christendom on heaps, one against another, that are not in the spirit and power of Christ the apostles were in.

And in Job, chap. i. 2. there you may see, the devil and satan, who was the enemy and murderer, appeared against Job and his sons and daughters, to the spoiling of his goods, yea, and his wife, who said unto Job, Curse God and die;' but Job called her a foolish woman, and did not sin with his lips, though he lost his sons and daughters, and his goods, and was stripped of all; and though the devil, satan, said unto the Lord, if that he would put his hand against Job, Job would curse him to his face.' Chap. i. 11.

And again, satan the informer said, 'Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath, will he give for his life; but put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone, and flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.' Job ii.

But in all these false informations of the devil, who was a murderer and a liar from the beginning, and so was proved and manifest to be both a murderer and a liar, and a false accuser; for Job blessed the Lord, and did not sin with his lips. Job i. 2.

And Job's friends were miserable comforters; for the Lord said, 'his wrath was kindled against them; for they had not spoken right of the Lord, as his servant Job had; and therefore Job was to pray to the Lord for them; and the Lord heard Job's prayer for them.'

And Joseph's mistress was a wicked informer to her husband, against innocent Joseph. First she informed the men of her house, then she informed her husband, whose wrath was kindled against him, that he took him, and cast him into prison. And all this was because Joseph would not yield unto his mistress's wickedness, and sin against God; so here the serpent, and the devil, the adversary, appeared against innocent Joseph whom God was withal, and made him to prosper. Gen. xl.

But in Proverbs vii. you may see, how the woman, with the attire of an harlot, and subtilty of heart, whose feet abides not in her house, and lieth in wait in every corner of the street, in the twilight in the evening, in the black and dark night, deceived the young man void of understanding; for they that have understanding will shun her; for by the means of a whorish woman, a man is brought to piece of bread, and the adulterous will hunt for the precious life of the righteous.

And though the informers and archers, did sorely grieve Joseph, and shot at him, and hated him, yet his bow abode in strength, and Joseph's brethren did envy him for his dream, but his father Jacob observed his sayings.

And you may see how Pharaoh, king of Egypt, informed his people, the Egyptians, against the children of Israel, and set task-masters over